I'm Wineing Away!

I am a festerer. I realize that is not a word, but I choose to make it one to suit my purposes. My current fester is the temperature that people serve red wine and white wine at. We live in Florida, where the average house temp is 80 degrees. Combine the words "room temperature" with clueless red-wine newbies, and we get warm swill. It pains me to go over to someone's house and have to drink wine at coffee temps. We're not talking mulled wine. The insult in this is I read most Americans drink their wine either too warm or too cold. The winos of the world single us out and make us look stupid. I like to think we are literal--how are we supposed to know that "room temp" means "drafty old chateau"?

I have read over the years that you take white wine out 20 minutes before and put the red wine in. Room temperature for red should be between 55-65 degrees. Anything over 70 means the wine is cooked, and you should just reach for the Mogen David at that point.

The other fester I have about wine is disdain regarding the screw-cap and box. We are talking about something the Austrailian's have done for years. And for those of you that don't know Oz makes damn fine wine. One snotty look at a screw-cap or box from a newbie, and I see red or white (depends on the wine). I want to yell "if you are going to talk, back it up."

As for wine glasses. I have issues. They are nice for drinking expensive wine. For everyday, tumblers are the way to go. Who are we trying to impress? I have a friend who pours it into a plastic tumbler. I laugh, but he has the right idea. We're not drinking premium here (we're not drinking Boone's Farm either).

So make me proud! Drink red at the right temp, and don't be afraid to pour it into a juice glass. What would make me really happy is if you went out and tried some of the wines below:

Black Box Chardonnay---fruit,fruit, fruit. ...
Bonnie Doon---any wine all screw-cap. Delicious!
Hardy's Shiraz box---spicy and lasts forever.
Three Thieves jug of zinfadel---Cute little 1-liter jug. Drink for only a couple of days. What do you want for 10 bucks?
Porto/Bonny Doon ---Rose(Row-zay) (I will clock the next person on the head if I have to hear "Is that white zin?" Did I say white zin?)perfect for that tumbler with Marcona almonds.
Yalumba Viognier.
Jezebel White.